Crying Time

My friend Marie and I went and saw "Inconvenient Truth." I cried. China, which is a third world country, has better gas per mileage standards than us in the US. How can that be? Don't even talk about Europe. And California wants to phase in over 11 years better standards, well, China's standards in 11 years. And guess what bankrupt companies want to enjoin California from implementing the standards. F-ckers!

The best part of the movie was the hope. We can do it. Just a little change, just each of us. Us Americans contribute to 30+% of the factors that contribute to global warming -- that's more than South America, Africa, and Asia combined.

I flinched that's not what made me cry. I cried for the 35,000 people in Europe and 1,400 people in India who died in the Summer of 2003. I cried because of the Hurrican Katrina victims and for all the more to come. I cried because Mt. Kilamojara ice caps are almost gone, the droughts in Africa, the death, the record numbers of Tsunamis in Asia, the death. I cried because the peak caterpillar season has reshifted to coincidence with the earlier arrival of spring, but the baby birds are on the old schedule. And the mosquitos travelling to warmer and warmer areas and the diseases.

I cried because it seems so overwhelming and instead of getting overwhelmed I must remember to take one day at a time, walk, bike, car pool, turn the a/c off, open a window, turn on a fan, write my political representatives, plant trees, trade my car in for a more efficient car, recycle, buy better cleaning products, and light bulbs that last longer. I cried because I don't want to be overwhelmed. I cried because not enough people will see the movie and make a change. What about my nieces -- all of the kids?